High-capacity spring-gear.



H l. LOUflSBUB-Y.

HIGH CAPACITY SPRBNG GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14-. 1916.

Pawnted Dee. 25, 1917.

a QMwNNwNMN NW i- J \N Q J INVENTOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY J. LOUNSIBURY, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. MINER, OF GHAZY, NEW YORK.

HIGH-CAPACITY SPRING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented D 25 1917 Application filed July 14, 1916. SrialNo. 109,240.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY J. LOUNS- BURY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in High-Capacity Spring-Gears, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in high capacity spring gears.

Objects of the invention are to provide a spring gear of high capacity adapted for mounting in standard 5111 spacing of railway cars, and which at the same time, is of simple, etficient, and relatively cheap design. In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal, sectional view of a draft rigging showing one embodiment of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical, transverse sectional views taken on the lines 22 and 33 respectively of Fig. 1. And Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of one of the followers employed.

In said drawing, 10-10 denote channel center or draft sills spaced the usual dis tance of 12% apart and the same have secured thereto rear stops 11 and front stops 12, the former being slotted as indicated at 13 to accommodate the movements of a key 14 which connects the draw bar 15 and the yoke A. The yoke and associated parts of the gear are held in proper position by any,

suitable means such as the tie plate 16 which is detachably secured to the lower flanges of the sills 10 by bolts 17 and clips 18.

The improved yoke A is preferably in the form of a steel casting and has a hood at its forward end to receive the butt of the draw a seat or pocket for the lower spring 24 of the gear. At its rear end, the yoke A 13 provided with a heavy, vertically upwardly extending shoulder or rear wall 25, the latter being suitably braced by flanges 26. The vertically extending flanges 27 of each of the portions 22 are provlded substantlally at the center of the gear with upward extenslons 28 which are extended outwardly as indicated at 29 and curved on their upper faces as indicated at 30 to thereby form seats or supports for two more sprlngs 3131. The upper springs 313l are held apart by a suitable spacer block 32, as shown in Fig. 3. The springs 24 and 31 engage at their ends on suitable bosses or lugs 33 formed on the inner faces of front .and rear followers 3434. Each of the followers 3a is provided with spaced recesses 35 on the bottom thereof to fit over the upstanding flanges 27. The flanges 27, as clearly indicated in Fig. l, are provided with fillets 36 at their ends where the same join the rear abutment 25 and side walls of the hood respectively and the followers 34 are correspondingly curved as indicated at 37 to accommodate said fillets. The center portion of each follower between said recesses 35 is extended downwardly as indicated at 38 so that the same will ride upon the horizontal flanges of each of the portions 22 and properly engage the lower spring 24.

It will be noted from the drawing and preceding description, that the three springs 24 and 31 are arranged with their axes coinciding with the angles of a substantially equilateral triangle, the upper side of which is arranged horizontally. The lower spring is suitably supported and guided by the lower arm of. the yoke, and the two upper springs are properly supported by the same yoke arm and are further guided by the sills 10. By this arrangement, I am enabled to employ three standard springs. of large diameter and confine the same within the standard sill spacing, thus increasing the capacity of the gear approximately 50 per cent. over ordinary types of draft gears heretofore in service which employed two springs twin arranged either vertically or horizontally. The parts of the improved gear may be cheaply manufactured and it is obvious that the same may be readily assembled and disassembled.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging, the combination with a pair of followers, and springs extending between said followers, of a onearm yoke adapted to connect said followers with a draw bar, the arm of said yoke having a longitudinally extending channel on its upper face adapted to receive one of the springs and the remaining of said springs being disposed above said arm, said followers being supported by the yoke.

2. As 'an article of manufacture, a yoke for draft riggings, said yoke having a hooded forward end, a rear abutment, and an arm extending between the vforward end and said abutment, said arm comprising two portions spaced apart, each portion being of substantially angular cross section and thereby adapted to form a pocket to receive a spring.

3. As an article of manufacture, a yoke for draft riggings, said yoke having a hooded forward end, a rearabutment, and

an arm extending between the forward end and said abutment, said arm comprising two portions spaced apart, each portion being of substantially angular cross section and thereby adapted to form a pocket to receive a spring, the vertical flanges of" each of said angular portions being provided with a support along their upper edges for springs.

4. In a draft rigging, the combination with a draw bar, and three springs in triangular formation with one side of the triangle arranged horizontally and at the top, of a one piece yoke, said yoke having means for directly and individually supporting each of the three springs.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of July, 1916.

HARVEY J. LUUNSBURY. Witnesses:

' ELIZABETH M. BRITT, Gornrn A. BISHOP.

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